Tyeb Mehta's 2002 painting "Rickshaw Puller" has sold for Rs 69.1 crore, setting a new world auction record for the celebrated Indian modernist. The sale took place at the inaugural auction of Volte Una, a new single-lot auction platform, on Tuesday.
The price surpassed Mehta's previous auction record of Rs 61.8 crore, set by "Trussed Bull" in April 2025. The painting attracted multiple bidders in the final minutes before the auction closed, driving the result to a record for both the artist and the newly launched platform.
Among India's most expensive artworks
"Rickshaw Puller" is now the fourth-most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction in rupee terms. The top spot belongs to Raja Ravi Varma's "Yashoda and Krishna", which fetched about Rs 167 crore, with works by M. F. Husain occupying the second and third positions.
Executed in acrylic on canvas, "Rickshaw Puller" dates to the final decade of Mehta's career and revisits a subject that featured prominently in his later work — the rickshaw puller he first encountered as a young boy during summer holidays in Kolkata. The painting was presented through private viewings to select collectors before the auction.
New auction model
Volte Una, founded by gallerist Tushar Jiwarajka, focuses on offering one major artwork at a time rather than large catalogues. Jiwarajka said the platform's reduced buyer's premium puts money back in the pockets of consignors and successful bidders. Its next auction, scheduled for the end of November, will feature a work by M. F. Husain from the Herwitz Collection.
Sources:
The Economic Times
The Hindu
The Times of India
The price surpassed Mehta's previous auction record of Rs 61.8 crore, set by "Trussed Bull" in April 2025. The painting attracted multiple bidders in the final minutes before the auction closed, driving the result to a record for both the artist and the newly launched platform.
Among India's most expensive artworks
"Rickshaw Puller" is now the fourth-most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction in rupee terms. The top spot belongs to Raja Ravi Varma's "Yashoda and Krishna", which fetched about Rs 167 crore, with works by M. F. Husain occupying the second and third positions.
Executed in acrylic on canvas, "Rickshaw Puller" dates to the final decade of Mehta's career and revisits a subject that featured prominently in his later work — the rickshaw puller he first encountered as a young boy during summer holidays in Kolkata. The painting was presented through private viewings to select collectors before the auction.
New auction model
Volte Una, founded by gallerist Tushar Jiwarajka, focuses on offering one major artwork at a time rather than large catalogues. Jiwarajka said the platform's reduced buyer's premium puts money back in the pockets of consignors and successful bidders. Its next auction, scheduled for the end of November, will feature a work by M. F. Husain from the Herwitz Collection.
Sources:
The Economic Times
The Hindu
The Times of India
